Elephant Rest Udawalawa Hotel

Basic accommodation in need of updating.Allocation excellent for udawalawe national park.

The food was very poor and the property could do with updating! The bathroom facilities had very poor water pressure so taking a shower was very difficult.

We stayed in a spacious, very clean and fresh room with a lovely private terrace, where I could practice my yoga in the early morning. Each room has a wooden bench overlooking the pool, which added a peaceful and relaxing touch.The swimming pool is large and inviting, and there is a cosy communal area where we could relax and enjoy a drink with other guests. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful; they arranged a safari for us, and the driver/guide was highly professional. We enjoyed a wonderful six-hour safari experience.The location is excellent, just a 10-minute drive from Udawalawe National Park. Breakfast was delicious, with a nice selection that allowed us to choose from the available options.A very comfortable and relaxing place to stay we truly enjoyed our time here.⸻Message to the property ownerI would also like to share something positive that truly stood out during our stay.We would also like to give a big compliment to your staff. The manager and his wife are very friendly.The warmth, dedication and joyful presence of the manager’s wife made a real difference to our experience. Her hard work, kindness and constant care for the guests create a welcoming atmosphere that is felt immediately. She even washed our clothes, for which we are very grateful. She truly represents the heart of your property.Staff members like her are rare, and their contribution is invaluable. Her presence adds great value to the experience of your guests, and we wanted to make sure you are aware of the positive impact she has.We felt it was important to share this with you.Kind regards,Wicky

Message to the property ownerWe would like to share two points for your attention, meant purely as constructive feedback:1.The Wi-Fi connection was quite poor during our stay and did not work reliably.2.Unfortunately, we did not have warm water in our room, as the boiler appeared to be broken.We wanted to mention this so it can hopefully be improved for future guests. Thank you for your attention and for the pleasant stay overall.Kind regards,Wicky

We booked this accommodation for easy access to the safari, which it was. But it is some distance to anywhere else.

It was a quick stop off, ok for one night but I wouldn’t stay longer.

Great place! Loved the location amongst all the sugar cane fields. The family who run the place were lovely. We organised our safari through the hotel, and were super happy with the experience. The location is close to the main gate of the national park, but far from the main town centre of Udawalawe (it’s not hard to hail a tuk tuk, or you can try your luck with the bus on the main road which we did and it was fine!). Would recommend to others.

From arrival Sangee made us feel very welcome and the glass of papaya juice was most welcome. Our first room was basic with some very old electrics that were a little dubious. However on first look the room was clean enough to stay in. Sadly after a down pour our room was flooded with water pouring through the light fixtures. Sangee was very accommodating and offered the choice of two more rooms; one again slightly flooded and the third was perfect. The bed was very comfortable, the AC adequate and the fridge useful for water. However the water pressure was very low and the water heater didn’t work so Showers were more a necessity than a luxury. As shared the rooms are basic and tired - the owner could do with spending some money on modernising and painting the rooms. The location of Elephants Rest is perfect for the Udawala National Park and Elephant Safari. All smoothly organised by Sangee. It’s worth the 40 min Tik Tuk ride to the temple again organised by Sangee.

While only accepted payment in cash, they helped me to get this and will have this capacity in the near future. Very good lentil soup and breakfast. Help get a reasonably priced taxi to Ella. Good value for money and well located to the National park.

Had a nice stay here. They arranged a jeep safari for us for a good price. Rooms are clean spacious and comfortable. The shower was warm when the heater was switched on but didn't work that great. Breakfast was pretty basic but okay - just toast fruit and an egg. Very close to the park.

Location is very good, close to the entrance of the park. Price-quality is fine.

The pictures look better than reality. The maintenance and attention to detail of the public areas can be better, especially the poolwater was not so clear (even more so the fishpool)

very close to park entrance, very helpful and caring host. in house restaurant serves delicious food. nicely laid out pool to relax. spacious clean rooms.

all good

Was small and personal very warm family feeling with perfect manager and family. Great location for Safri breakfast was very good.

Great place for a short stay. nice host. food was so good one of the best meals we had in Sri Lanka. good pool to relax under scorching sun

all ok

lovely host family. nice pool to relax and can play Badminton to burn calories. food was delicious and care taker family was very helpful. and organised a great safari. highly recommend if anyone coming to Udawalawa

All good nothing to complain

Nice family run budget hotel, ideal for the safari, the hotel can organise the safari tour at a good price too . Great value for money. Big breakfast. The accommodation basic but ok for the money. Friendly staff. Recommended for a short stay.

For the price, no complaints, maybe shower could have been stronger.

It’s clean and in a great location but the absolute best thing is the people that run the hotel they are kind and helpful. The location was great for our safari which they organised and the food was lovingly home cooked from scratch.

It’s a little bit dated the aircon is ok but tired. The water is warm but with low pressure. Non of these things make the stay uncomfortable and it’s great value for money !

The location was perfect for safaris in the park. It felt like a lodge, very homely. Home cooked food. Decent sized pool, nice poolside area, to have pots of tea, on request, in the afternoon.

We stayed two nights at this lovely little guest house. Its a remote area, so we were not only thankful for the pool, but for Sajeewa and   Kumari, who could not have done more for us. A fabulous welcome, cooked our very tasty meals and organised our Safari and trip to the local Elephant . We could not have asked for more

The family were amazing and really looked after us. They sorted us a safari and made us feel very welcome. I would definitely come back! Great food!

Beautiful rooms, nicely decorated, and a perfect location for Safari. Good food and attentive staff.

Everything was great, except they should take greater care of the animals. We saw some dogs in unbelievable poor condition, suffering with disease and open wounds. Heartbreaking really.

Location and helpfulness of the staff was brilliant.Food was cooked from scratch, the Elephant Rest organised the whole safari which was just perfect and we were picked up at the door.Room very comfortable and in good order.Pool was a lovley addition.

A word of warning, food is great however every dish is made from scratch and with that may take 60 minutes from order.Well worth the wait.

nice and quiet place in a village setting. host were so nice. family run place and food was delicious. well maintained pool and badminton court. bedroom was spacious nicely arranged. Hosts took us on a village tour to see sugar cane farming and nice lakes where we enjoyed bird watching

Nil